Stapling apparatus



July 26, 1960 o. A. WANDEL STAPLING APPARATUS Filed March 29, 1956 OSCAR A.WAN DEL ll l [I Attorneys Unite tates STAPLING APPARATUS Oscar A. wandel, Mundelein, Ill., 'assignor to Fastener This invention relates'to afastening device and, more particularly, to a stapling apparatus including staple feeding mechanisms.

The increasing use of pneumatically operated fastener driving devices together with their attendant increased rate of fastener consumption has aggravated'the problem of providing adequate magazine fed supplies of fasteners for setting or driving tools. This problem, although present to a degree in bench or stationary tools, is'of greater extent in the hand tool field because many of the solutions acceptable in'bench tools, such as enlarged magazines or means for forming fasteners from blank stock as they are used, often render hand tools unwieldy and limit the accessibility of the hand tool toremote or confined areas. Further,'in' even the prior'magazine 'c'onstructions of normal capacities, it is often quite difficult to quicklyreplace a depleted supply of fasteners.

Accordingly, one object of the present'invention is to provide'new andimpr'ov'ed fastening apparatus.

Another'objeet isto'provide new and improved'magazine means for supplying staplesorsimilar fasteners to a driving or'setting means therefor.

Another'object is to provide a stapler including a magazine utilizing a coiled strip of staples forincreasi'n'g the magazine capacity thereof without substantially increasing its physical size.

A further object is to provide disposable magazines for use with hand tools to increase the speed at which a depleted supply of fasteners can be replenished.

Another "object is to provide fastener'apparatus having driving means and magazine means in which the staples forming a strip contained within the magazine are bodily rotated in being fed to the driving means from the magazine.

A further object is to provide fastener apparatus including a staple driving device having guide means both for supporting a magazine spaced from the device and for conveying'staples from a coiled strip in the magazine to'the driving device.

Another object is to provide a stapling device supplied with staples from coiled strips thereof. 7

In accordance with the above and many other objects,

an embodiment of the present invention comprises a pneumatically'operated fastening or stapling apparatus including staple driving means having a drive track. A staple guiding means secured to the device adjacent the drive track and in communication therewith is supplied with staples from a coiled-strip thereof ina magazine mounted on an outer free end of the guiding means.

'These staples are sequentially advanced into the drive track under the control of feeding means acting on the staple strip at a point intermediate the drive track and the magazine.

In 'one' embodiment ofthe invention, which is adapted for use in'connection with narrow crown staples, the staples are joined together by a suitable adhesiv'e to form r a continuous' s'trip which is coiled in a plurality of con- "evol-uti'ons within the cylindricalcavity of the' ma'gaz'ine' Patent track to permit the setting thereof. Since the staples are disposed in edgewise coiled form in the magazine, the

2,946,059 Patented July26, 1960 offset endportion which engages and supports theouter end portionof the coiled strip of staples. This angularly offset .guiderail angularly displaces the staple'st'rip as it is being advanced toward theadrive trackso that,

when the individualv staples are fed into the drive track,

the legs thereof are substantially parallel to lt-he drive capacity of the magazine is considerably increased without an attendant increase in theiphysical size of the magazine construction, and, further, by detachably V mounting the magazine on the guide means, anexhausted magazine can easily be .replaced by merely removing'the exhausted magazine and. attaching an additional filled "magazine to the guide means.

Theinvention, both asto its construction andjmeth'o'd of operation, together. with further objects and-advantages'thereof 'will'best be understood by referenceto the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

'Fig. 1 is a side elevational view in partial section showing a pneumatically operated stapler or tacker having a staple feeding magazine forming one embodiment of the present invention; I ,7 V

Fig. 2 is a cross'sectiona-l .view taken along line 2-.2 in Fig. l showinga magazine construction, assuming that the complete magazine structure is shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3: 3

- in Fig. 1 illustrating the, details of a staple feedingm'echanisrn, again'assumin'g that the complete stapler structure along lines-4 4, S;5, 6-6, and 7-7 in Fig. 1 of the "drawings,-assuming that the complete magazine and guidingfstructures are disclosed therein; and t Fig, 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along line 8 8 in "Fig. '1, assuming that the complete staple feedingmechanism is, shown therein.

Referring nowto Fig. 1 of the drawings, the present invention comprises a pneumatically operated stapler, indicatedgenerallyjas l, for driving staples or other similar fasteners whicli'rnay be ofthe types disclosed in 't'hecopending applications of Oscar A. .Wandel, Serial No. "527,'6 97, filed August ll, 'l955, or of Oscar A. wa ndel and Richard H. Doyle, SerialNo, 546,377, filed November I4, "1955, which copending applications are assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

As disclosed therein, the pneumatically operated. stapler 16 comprises a housing including a handle) portion 18 defining an air reservoir which is supplied with airunder pressure from a suitable source through anair hose 20, the hose '20 being connected ,to the handle 18 of the ihousing'by a threaded nipple 22. Upon operation of a trigger actuated valve indicated generally. as 24, air from the reservoir in the handle 18 is admitted into a cylinder 26 (-Fig. 1) to advancea piston27carrying a driving blade 28. Downward movement of the piston '27 adva n'ces the blade throug'h a drive track 29 formed in a nose'piecefiq so that the end of the blade 28 engagesand drives a staple '33 (-Fig. 2). 7 V

The narrow crown staples 33 are supplied tothe drive trackf-Z9ffro1n ajcoiled strip, 32 thereof whichxiscontairied within a magazine, indicated generally as 34,

mounted onthe stapler 16 by means of a staple guide "means, indicated generally as 36,. The strip 32 of staples is withdrawn-from the magazine 34 and advancedthrough reciprocation of the piston 27 to advance individual staples 33 from the strip 32 into the drive track 29. To increase the capacity of the magazine 34, the staple strip 32 is coiled within the magazine 34 so that'the parallel legs of the individual staples33 are disposedapproximately transverse to the direction of movement of the driving blade 28 or to the drive track 29.. Accordingly,

when the staples are fed from the magazine 34 to the drive track 29, the staple guiding means 36 angularly rotates or displaces the staples so that the individual staples supplied to the drive track 29 are provided with the parallel legs thereof extending substantially longitudinally relative to the length of the drive track 29. The magazine 34 is detachably mounted on the outer end of the staple guiding means 36 so that the stapler 16 can easily be provided with an additional supply of staples by removing the exhausted magazine 34 and replacing it with a filled magazine of a similar construction.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the magazine 34 is adapted to provide as large a quantity of narrow crown staples for use in the pneumatically p- To further aid in reducing the physical size of the maga-- zine construction 34, the coiled strip 32 of staples is so wound that the parallel legs 33a of the individual staples 33 are disposed adjacent each other (Fig. 2) to extend generally transverse to the drive track 29 or the direction of movement of the blade 28. It is readily appreciated that the physical dimensions of the magazine 34 would be vastly increased from those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 if the strip 32 is Wound so that crown portions 33b of the individual staples 33 are moved into engagement by winding the strip 32 about an axis perpendicular to a plane passing through the parallel legs 33a thereof. To permit the strip 36 to be formed into the tightly spaced convolutions or turns illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the individual staples 33 are joined by an adhesive material which is such as to permit considerable displacement of the individual staples 33 relative to each other without destroying the bond between adjacent staples. In this manner, the strip 32 can be formed to a coiled configuration including a plurality of closely spaced convolutions or turns so that the magazine 34 has as large a staple containing capacity as possible.

The magazine 34 comprises a pair of oppositely formed dish-shaped housing members 52 and 54 of a substantially circular outer configuration which are joined together by a plurality of spaced fasteners 56 to define a cavity or chamber 58 for receiving the coiled strip 32.

To provide a means for facilitating the loading of staples into the magazine 34, the edge walls of the housing members 52 and 54 are cut away, as indicated at 60. The housing members may be formed of a transparent material whereby the quantity of staples remaining within the magazine 34 can be visibly determined. In order to accommodate the staple strip 32, the transverse inner dimension bounded by the inner surfaces of the members 52 and 54 is approximately equal to the length of the legs 33a of the individual staples 33.

To provide means for rotatably supporting the inner end of the coiled strip 32, a substantially circular supporting member 62 having a cutout area 62a is rotatably mounted in the center of the cavity 58 by a rivet or pin 64 which is secured to oneor both of the housing members 52 or 54. The free inner end of the strip 32 is disposed in the cutout portion 62a of the member 62 and secured therein by an arcuately formed flat spring 66, one end of which is secured to the outer surface of'the supporting member 62 and the other end of which resiliently engages and holds the free en d of the strip 132 in the cutout portion 62a of the supporting member 62. In a preferred embodiment of the magazine 34, the effective diameter of the supporting member 66 is so chosen that the distance between the outer periphery of the member 66 and the inner surface of the housing members 52 and 54 defining the cavity 58 is an integral multiple of the width of the crown portion 33b of a staple 33. In this manner and as illustrated in Fig, 20f the drawings, virtually all of the volume of the cavity 58 in the magazine 34 is utilized in a filled magazine 34 to store the coiled strip 32 of staples.

To provide a means for placing the cavity 58 in communication with the staple guiding means 36 and to provide means for supporting the magazine 34 on the stapling or tacking device 16, the housing members 52 and 54 are each provided with an enlarged and elongated cylindrical exit portion, similar to a portion 52a of the housing member 52 shown in Fig. l. The projecting por tions 52a effectively define an opening 68 within which the outer free end of the staple guide means 36 is detachably received, a shoulder 52b formed integral with the housing member 52 and a similarly formed shoulder on the housing member 54 serving to limit inward movement of the end of the staple guide means 36 relative to the magazine 34. To detachably secure the magazine 34 in an adjusted position on the outer free end of the staple guide means 36, the projecting portion 52a of the magazine 34 is provided with a latching protuberance 520 which cooperates with a latch member 70 carried by the staple guide means 36. When the magazine 34 is secured in position on the outer free end of the guide 36, the outer end of the strip 32 can be inserted into the guide means 36 to permit the feeding of the staples to the drive track 29.

As indicated above, the staple guide means 36 includes means for conveying the strip 32 from the magazine 34 to the drive track 29 in the nosepiece 30, the individual staples 33 being advanced into the drive track 29 under the control of the staple feeding mechanism 38. Further, the staple guiding means 36 operates to angularly displace or deflect the staples 33 forming the strip 32 from the position in which the legs 33a thereof extend transverse to the drive track 29 to a position in which these legs extend substantially parallel to the drive track 29, thereby to permit the driving of the staples 33. In general, the staple guide means 36 includes a housing having a flat base plate 72 to which is secured a U-shaped cover plate 74, the plate 74 being either detachably or permanently secured to the base plate 72. One end of the base plate 72 and an end portion 74b of the U-shaped cover plate 74 are secured to the nosepiece 30 of the stapler 16 either permanently, as by welding, or detachably, as by the use of suitable securing means such as screws. The other or outer free end of the housing formed by the elements 72 and 74 is cut to a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the opening 68 formed in the magazine 34 and, as illustrated in Fig.1, may be tapered or beveled to terminate in an end portion 72a of the base plate 72 which engages the shoulder 52b.

The latch 70 for securing the magazine 34 in an adjusted position on the staple guide means 36 includes an end portion 70a, which is suitably secured to an upper wall surface 74b of the cover member 74, and an offset end portion 70b, which cooperates with the protuberance 52c formed in the housing member 52 to detachably lock the magazine 34 on the tape guiding means 36. The outer free curved end of the portion 70b engages the inclined front surface of the protuberance 520 when the magazine 34 is slipped onto the end of the staple guiding means 36 so that the free end of the latch member 70 is deflected outward until the shoulder of the protuberance 52c moves beyond the offset portion 70b to permit them to move into interlocking engagement. The magazine 34 is easily removed by manually displacing the latch member 70 until the ofiset porttiong70b clears -the shoulder of the protuberance 52c-and ;then'withdrawing the magazine 34 from the outer end aofzthe staple guiding means 36.

in order to support and guide the staple strip '32 in -moving from the magazine 34 to the drive track 29' and ttoprovide means for angularly deflecting or displacing the staples 33 forming the strip 32, a guide means or :rail 76 is provided having its'lower'edge secured to the 'base'plate 72. The inner end of therail 76 is positioned adjacent and aligned with an opening formed in'thenosepiece to permit the end staple 33 in the strip 32 to be advanced into the drive track 29 under the control 'of'the staple feeding or advancing means 38. A portion 760 of the rail extends substantially perpendicularly up wardly from the base plate'72 and is of such a length that 'the upper edge thereof, which is positioned adjacent the top wall 74a of the cover member 74, is spaced from the lower surface of the wall 74a a distance approximately equal to the Width of the crown portion 33b of the staples 33, thereby to support and guide the end portion of the staple strip 32 during its movement toward the drive track 29. p

To provide means for angularly rotating or deflecting the staple strip 32 from the transverse position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings to the proper position for feeding staples 33 into the drive track 29, the guide rail 76 includes a free end portion, indicated generally as 76b, which is-angularly oifset as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. When the magazine 34 is assembled on'the staple guiding means 36, the free end portion of the of the drawings, the gradually curving configurations of f the portion 76b of the rail 76'gradually deflects or rotates viewed in the direction of Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, so thattthe legs 33a of the staples 33 in the strip 32 are'moved to a position approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis to the drive track 29, are moved into substantial alignment therewith to permit them to be supplied to the drive track 29 by thevfixed innerendportion 76a of the guide rail 76. r

The staple advancing or feeding means 33 advances the individual staples 33 of thestrip 32 into the drive track 29 in the nosepiece 30 in response to each cycle of operation of the piston 27 and the driver blade 23. More specifically, the staple advancing means '38 includes a flexible arm 80 having an upper transverse portion 80a secured to the body of the stapler 16. A lower depending portion of the arm 80 .is bifurcated to provide a pair of spaced legs 8% and 860, to the lower ends of which are connected a pair of arcuately formed spring arms '82 and 84 (Figs. 3 and 8). The legs 80b and 80c ex- :tend into the cavity defined by the housing of the guide means 36 through a pair of openings 86 and 38, respectively, formed in the top Wall 74a of the cover mernber '74 so that the .freeend portions of the spring arms 82 .and 84 are adapted to engage the outer surfaces 'of'the leg portions 33a of the staples 33 forming the staple strip 32 immediately adjacent the passageway connecting the staple guiding means 36 with the guide track 29.

To operate the staple feeding or advancing means 38,

a cam member 90 having ofiset flanges Qiia secured to an intermediate portion 30d of the flexible arm Stiis fthe staple strip 3.2 in a counterclockwise direction, when 1 9 provided having an end which extends into the; cylinder 26 through an opening 92. -When the piston 27'imoyes downwardly in response'to actuation of the-trigger conthe arm-80 is so adjusted that the'free ends of the-spring 'arms 82 and'84'slide 'over the legs 33a of the adjacent staple 33 and move rearwardly a distance equal to the width of the staple legs 33a. When the piston-27 is returned to its normal position, either-pneumatically or -by the use of a'piston return'spring (not shown), the

flexible arm 80 returns to the position shown in Fig. :1 of the drawings. During this movement, the spring arms 82 and 84 bite into-the sides of the strip 32 and carry the entire strip 32 forward a'distance equal tothewidth of a single staple 33'. This movement of the stripf32 :aadvances-a-staple 33 into the drivertrack 29 to replace the staple which was severed from the strip 32 and drivenby the blade 28 during the preceding'cyclewof operation of the piston '27. Accordingly, the staple feeding or advancing means 38 of the present invention are positively synchronized with the operation of the stapling 125 or'tacking means'lta so that a staple '33 is advanced into the drive track 23 in response to each cycle of operation thereof. p

In operation, when one of the magazines 34 becomes exhausted during use of the stapling or tacking device 16, the latch 70 is displaced to permit the offsetportion 70b thereof to clear the :projectionSZc, and the magazine 34 is moved 'to the right as shown in Fig.- lso that the outer 'freeiend of the staple guiding means36 is "withdrawn from the'opening 68'formedin the projecting portion 52a ofthe .housing 34. "The magazine '34 ,is then discarded of'the magazine 34 and is inserted into'the free open end of the housing of the'guide means 36. This free endxportion is deflected, asindicated in Fig. 7 of the drawings,

so that'the U-shaped cavity defined bythejle gs 33a-of the .staples.33 can be placed on the free end portion. 76b of the supporting or :guiding rail 76. Thereafter, the' vfreeend portionof'th'e strip 32 is advanced until the end of the'strip 32 is moved into a position in which the outermost staple 33 is ready to be fed into the drive trackQZQ. During this movement, the end portion of the strip 32 is gradually rotated from thepositionfillustrated in Fig. 2 to'the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 in which the legs 33;: of the staples '33'are substantially I aligned with the side walls of the drive track29, thereby to permit these staples to be driven bythe blade 28. The magazine 34 is secured on the free outer end of the staple guidinglmeans 36 by inserting this end portion of the means 36 into the opening 68 and movingthe magazine 34'toi the left, as shown in Fig. 1, so that'the outer free end portion 70b of the latch 70 sliding'ly engages the cammedouter surface of the projecting portion 520 .of the housing member 52, thereby to'permit this proassembly 24- intermittently reciprocates thepiston27 so that the cam 92 is engaged to deflect the arm ina counterclockwise direction to advance the pawl orspring arms 82 and 84 rearwardly Withrespectftothe'stri The-return movement of the piston 27 per1nits the fl'exible arm 89 to return to its normal position and, in doing so, advances the strip 32 to feed the end staple 33 into the drive track 29. During these staple feeding operations, the convolutionslof the strip 32 arev gradually unwound, and the supporting member 62 is rotated until the last convolution of the strip 32 has been unwoun d therefrom. At this time, continuing advancement of the strip 32 pulls the inner end of the strip 32 out of the cutaway portion 62a of the supporting member 62 by overcoming the resilient clamping action of the fiatspring 66 to permit the remainder of the staples 33 in the strip 32 to be supplied to the stapling apparatus 16. This feeding operation continues until such time as the pawl or spring arms 82 and 84 of the staple'feeding means 38 no longer engage the legs 33a of the staples 33 forming the strip 32.

Accordingly, the staple feeding means of the present invention includes a magazine 34 containing a strip 32 of staples 33 which is closely wound in a plurality of convolutions or turns around an axis parallel to the legs 33a of the staples 33 so that an extremely large number of these staples are provided in the magazine 34. The magazine 34 is solely supported by a staple guiding means 36, which includes means for angularly deflecting or partially rotating the strip 32 to move the individual staples 33 thereof into a position extending parallel to the general outline of the drive track 29 to permit these staples to be advanced by the pneumatically operated stapler 16 in a conventional manner. By the provision of the readily removable magazine 34, the speed of replacing the staple supply for the tacker or stapler 16 is materially reduced, and, by using a closely wound strip 32 comprising adhesively joined staples 33, the magazine 34 increases the length of the periods during which the tacker or stapler 16 can be utilized without requiring the replenishment of the staple supply.

Accordingly, in accordance with the objects of the present invention, the magazine 34 provides an increased staple or fastener supply for stapling or tacking apparatus by the provision of a continuous strip of individual staples which are adhesively joined together to permit the staple strips to be formed into coils of a plurality of convolutions. In the magazine 34, the legs of the staples extend substantially transverse to the drive track through which the staples are to be driven, and, accordingly, the magazine 34 is provided with a staple guiding means 36 which is capable of angularly deflecting or rotating the staples therein to permit them to be moved into alignment with the drive track. Further, the magazine 34 is detachably mounted on the end of the accompanying staple guiding means 36 to permit the magazine 34 to be easily replaced, and the stapling or tacking device 16 is provided with staple feeding or advancing means 38 which is interposed between the drive track 29 and the staple magazine 34 to permit the staples in the strip 32 to be advanced to a driving position in syncltronism with the intermittent operation of the stapling apparatus.

While the invention has been described with reference to one embodiment thereof, it will be understood that those skilled in the art may make additional changes and modifications without departing from the principles of the invention. Therefore, it is intended in the appended claims to cover all changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the principles of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a fastener driving apparatus using a reciprocable fastener driver element, structure defining a drive track lying substantially within a single plane and adapted to slidably receive said driver element, a magazine carried on said apparatus and including means for supporting a coil of staples for rotation about an axis parallel to said plane and transverse to said drive track, said coil of staples. including a plurality of individual U-shaped staples flexibly joined together in a strip that is coiled with the legs of the individual staples disposed parallel to said axis and transverse to said drive track, guide means positioned between said magazine and said drive track and receivable between the legs of the staples for displacing said staples about an axis perpendicular tosaid drive track to move the legs of the staples from a position transverse to said drive track to a position parallel to said drive track, and means engaging said staples for feeding said staples into said drive track from said guide means in synchronism with reciprocation of said drive element.

2. 'In a fastener driving apparatus in which a reciprocable driver element sets U-shaped staples having a pair of legs joined by a crown portion, structure defining a drive track which lies substantially within a single plane and which slidably receives said driver element, a magazine spaced rearwardly from said drive track, said magazine including both a pair of side walls spaced apart substantially the length of said legs and means for supporting a coiled strip of said staples between said walls with the aXis of the coiled strip extending generally parallel to said plane, the strip of staples including a plurality of individual U-shaped staples flexibly secured together and being coiled so that the legs of the individual U-shaped staples are generally parallel to the axis and transverse to said drive track, guide means connecting said magazine to said apparatus and including means receivable between the legs of the U-shaped staples for displacing said staples from a position in which the legs are transverse to said drive track to a position in which said legs are parallel to said drive track, and feeding means engaging said staples for advancing said staples tron]: said magazine through said guide means to said drive trac 3. A stapling apparatus for use with strips of U-shaped staples wherein the individual staples of the strip are adhesively secured together comprising structure defining a drive track, a magazine disposed adjacent said drive track and, containing one of said strips with the leg portions of the U-shaped staples disposed transverse to said drive track, means interconnecting said magazine and said drive track for guiding movement of said staples from said magazine to said drive track, said means including staple orienting means receivable between the legs of said staples for moving the legs of said staples from a position transverse to said drive track to a position parallel to said drive track before introducing said staples into said drive track, and means operating directly on said staples for advancing said staples from said magazine to said drive track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

